Educators Greet Performance Report With Caution : Reaction: Comparing such items as test scores and dropout rates is inadequate for judging overall quality, critics say. Even officials at San Marino, the top-rated local school, say other factors are important.

The recently released California High School Performance Report, which rates the combined academic performance of students, has prompted both pride and skepticism among local school officials and parents.

San Marino High received the highest scores of the 42 high schools evaluated in the San Gabriel Valley, and Arrow High, a small continuation school in Glendora, received the lowest.

Critics cite deficiencies in the report, and even proponents say the figures, used alone, are not a good indicator of how good a school is.

“By itself, the report is typically misused,” said Pat McCabe, a research evaluator for the state Department of Education. She supports the report but said it is often misinterpreted.

“The schools with the high scores are praised and the low-scoring schools are beat up. Parents need to look at overall state ranking, how well they compare against other schools, and are they growing and improving?” McCabe said.

The report is also missing information on the percentage of students who go on to community colleges and vocational schools, she said.

Others condemn the report for its use of data from 1992-93, saying that enrollment and test scores change every year.

“These are useless and empty figures,” said William Bibbiani, senior research analyst for the Pasadena Unified School District, where the average performance score was a relatively low 40.0 out of 100.

“It’s just the rehashing of old numbers by state department statisticians. Sure the figures are correct, but the numbers are meaningless,” Bibbiani said.

The California Department of Education created the annual performance report in 1982 to help show schools their strengths and weaknesses and to show comparisons with a group of 100 schools with similar demographics.

The report was also designed to give the public a glimpse inside local schools and can be helpful to parents in deciding where to move. Under a state law set to take effect in May, 1995, the report would also be used to assist students wanting to change school districts. McCabe said the report data is best used in conjunction with a local school report, which provides information such as the quality of teachers and special programs.

Each school in the state was given a rating based on test scores from the Scholastic Assessment Test, Advanced Placement test, American College Test and the California Learning Assessment System, a statewide exam.

Dropout rates, geometry class enrollments and the numbers of college-bound students were also factored in.

Administrators whose schools scored highly were pleased but were quick to note that the scores are not the only indicators of good education.

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“We’re proud, but we aren’t elitist about it. There are a lot of good schools who didn’t score as high,” said Thomas Godley, superintendent of the San Marino Unified School District. “We have good students and support from parents, which is a major factor in successful schools these days.”

Ninety percent of San Marino district parents join the PTA and help with everything from reviewing textbooks to volunteering in the classroom, said Christine Rogers, president of the San Marino PTA Council.

Godley said the high school’s small size is another reason for its success.

“We have 1,000 students and know every kid by name, so it’s very hard for a kid to get lost in the big critical mass,” Godley said. “They have a real sense of belonging, and they are better students because of that.”

Officials at Arrow High, a small continuation school for students who are behind on course credits, were not alarmed at receiving the lowest marks in the region. “None of us here think the report means anything,” Principal Jon McNeil said. “When you look at raw data, you need to look at all the data. The performance scores are just not an accurate indication of what we do here every day.”

Arrow High has an enrollment of 103 students, many of whom come from troubled families and have disciplinary problems.

“We think we are one of the finer alternative schools,” McNeil said. “We see a lot of kids who were once good students but fell off the edge due to some family crisis. Our job is to put them back together again.”

The report itself does a disservice to some cities, critics such as Bibbiani say, because it implies that students can’t get a good education in urban districts.

“This report rewards the affluent suburbs and smites the rest of us,” Bibbiani said. “Poor kids drop out because they need jobs, which has no bearing on the quality of the school.”

According to real estate agents, district performance scores are among the factors affecting the price of homes, although most prospective buyers don’t ask about the scores.

“Some buyers are very savvy and want to see these scores,” said Gary Lorenzini, a real estate agent with Century 21 Val in Arcadia. “But most people have never even heard of them.”

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Edla Scharre, a real estate agent with Prudential California in San Marino, said home buyers there definitely show an interest in schools, but she has not had anyone specifically ask to see the performance report for San Marino.

“Most people already know San Marino has good schools, but I don’t use the report as an indicator because I think it unfairly rates some very good schools,” Scharre said.

In evaluating a school, parents should not rely solely on the performance report, Bibbiani said, but should investigate the schools on their own.

“There is a quest for the number, but it’s not that simple. You have to visit the school, talk to the teachers, talk to the kids and look at the community as a whole,” he said.

School Rankings

The performance value shows how the school performed during the 1992-93 school year, according to the state Department of Education, based on student scores on four standardized tests, dropout rates, and the number of students in college-prep and geometry classes. The highest possible score is 100. The comparison score shows the average performance of a group of 100 schools, picked by the state for their similar demographics.

Performance Comparison School Value Score Alhambra High 44.5 41.2 Arcadia High 62.0 56.8 Arroyo High, Covina 42.9 38.5 Arrow High, Glendora 12.9 29.4 Azusa High 32.5 38.7 Baldwin Park High 35.6 35.7 Bassett High 35.7 37.0 Blair High, Pasadena 36.7 40.0 Charter Oak High, Covina 38.9 48.1 Claremont High 52.4 57.2 Covina High 46.7 42.1 Del Paso High, Walnut 25.1 46.5 Diamond Bar High 63.5 57.1 Duarte High 39.4 38.5 El Monte High 38.9 36.4 Ganesha High, Pomona 35.1 38.4 Garey High, Pomona 27.9 36.9 Gladstone High, Covina 35.5 38.5 Glendora High 51.8 50.5 La Canada High 63.7 59.1 La Puente High 34.8 37.3 Los Altos High, Hac. Heights 52.7 46.1 Mark Keppel High, Alhambra 43.5 37.3 Marshall Fundamental, Pasa. 46.5 42.3 Monrovia High 37.8 41.9 Mtn. View High, El Monte 32.0 36.8 Muir High, Pasadena 44.6 41.6 Northview High, Covina 42.0 37.5 Pasadena High 39.2 41.1 Pomona High 30.8 38.3 Rosemead High 41.8 38.7 San Dimas High 45.6 44.8 San Gabriel High, Alhambra 38.4 37.4 San Marino High 71.3 59.0 Sierra Vista High, Baldwin Pk. 54.5 48.0 South Pasadena High 61.5 57.0 Valley High, Industry 16.3 25.8 Walnut High 62.7 52.8 West Covina High 39.8 42.8 Wilson High, Hac. Heights 51.6 50.9 Workman High, Industry 45.7 38.0

Source: California Department of Education